Drag Queen Story Time - and a business opportunity for the GC

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So, I went into my local library to calmly state my problems with them having Drag Queen Story Time in a couple of weeks. Ended up having a chat with the Library Supervisor whose line was very much that [ourcounty] libraries are inclusive for everyone. And this kept being repeated, along with the fact that it was optional.

Except Drag Queen Story nonsense is the only one which they have - and I pointed out that this privileges it and I would have less of an issue if it was just one among many (would still have an issue but was trying to be reasonable).

So she kept saying that of course they were inclusive of everyone and if other groups approached them they would host them in just the same way.

But you pay DQST.

Well yes.

Therefore the implication is that they would pay other groups.

SO, here's the plan. Who wants to set up Gender Critical Feminist Story Time? She assures me that our library has loads of feminist books, so it's an easy ask. And if you get turned down, you can sue them!

All we need is an administrator and someone to read the stories, both with high level DSB checks. And perhaps a logo. Who's in?

(I currently run a feminist charity but am happy to be a trustee...)

More poncy drivel from the Guardian, pandering to the left as usual. Women / parents getting mispresented and treated like senseless bigots. We're not following America, kids twerking and doing "sl*t drops". Shaming concerned parents is a disgrace. Wonder if there is / will be an equally scathing article about how we are against the teaching of gender ideology in schools? No doubt we'll be called bigots yet again, despite all the children needlessly damaged by it (Tavistock).

I’ve been saying this for ages at various times of FWR.
How about reading the wonderful Rachel Rooney’s My Body Is Me.
An agency could hire all sorts of people to read stories. If I didn’t work full-time, I do it 😁

Yes and for less than £150 per hour!

Disgusting to pay this much in a cost of living crisis, especially given the content.

Notice the Guardian didn't mention all of his shameless bullying of women online, the sexual content on his story time social media and even his post "love has no age". Huge red flag here but not even worth a mention in the article. I hate to say it but the DM is far more fair and balanced.

nononsense29 · Today 22:43
Notice the Guardian didn't mention all of his shameless bullying of women online, the sexual content on his story time social media and even his post "love has no age". Huge red flag here but not even worth a mention in the article. I hate to say it but the DM is far more fair and balanced.

Yes, it is more fair, balanced, and detailed. In particular it didn’t dismiss protesters as all being far right anti-vaxers, but took the trouble to list the various agencies who are concerned by this. I don’t apologise for reading articles like this in the DM. Even if it has too much of a dramatic slant sometimes, it at least brings up enough facts to follow up on.

Sorry, I didn’t mean that this DM has too much of a dramatic slant, I meant that maybe the DM has a tendency to be a bit that way in general.

Absolutely. The Times has been fantastic in all of this too. I do think that the DM is less beholden to its readership, than the G is. I don't think it panders so much and I think that's because its readership doesn't have a mob mentality. We're a bit of a mixture maybe, perhaps it has a broader appeal so it can be less tied to one political viewpoint, i.e. I'm a centrist I think the DM is a decent paper. At least it doesn't pander to one elitist perspective.

Sorry, slight tangent, but why on earth is drag so widely accepted?! It seems to be such an unpopular opinion to hate it. I get why swathes of women (people?) haven’t peaked* with the trans stuff, #bekind and all that. But drag is so obviously offensive. I sometimes feel like I’m living in an episode of the Twilight Zone. It’s disgusting. But there’s a market to take kids to have stories read to them?!

Love the idea of GC story time btw! Even outside of a rebuttal to DQ Story Time. The irrelevance of gender is a wonderful lesson.

*is this terminology right? Hope “peaked” makes sense

I am not Sue if this has been mentioned but apparently Rochdale Council cancelled DQST at short notice. I can’t link the tweet by Aida H Dee but this is a screen shot.

He is angry about this, has called on people to write to the council, and gives its address. If you get on to the actual tweet and read the responses, a lot are from people to say they have written to the council to thank them for cancelling.

I thought I’d do this too as I find what has been going with children so upsetting. There has also been too much false information about how it is just anti-vaxers and far right people objecting.

(If anyone wants to write, though the council address is given, it might be worth double checking.)

Yes, peaked makes sense!

Honestly, I don't know. I think it's become more mainstream because of Ru Paul Drag Race. Even then, they call women "fish" and they have an acronym Courage / Uniqueness / Nerve / Talent... I think that's right... More like Disgusting / Inane / Crass / Kn_b.

I tried to watch it once, it's very b*tchy, very sassy. I couldn't get past the 5 minute mark!

Re the screen shot I posted earlier about a
drag queen’s objections to his library story time for children having being cancelled by Rochdale Council,, and his call for people to write to the council to complain,

I have just written to Rochdale Council to thank them for cancelling their DQST, giving my reasons as briefly as possible. Perhaps now they have done this other councils will begging to reflect a bit more about this practice.
mailto:[email protected]

Maybe you could point out your alternative ideas to them OP?

You’d be at the very least the voice of a not far-right, not anti-vaxxer.

Begin, not begging.

I know a lesbian roofer, a lesbian plumber and a lesbian doctor who might all be persuaded to turn up in working gear, talk for a few minutes about themselves and their work, and then read some feminist (ie non-binary) stories.

I think the standard charge for DQSH was £350 and he was sometimes doing three a day. The doctor might not leave home for £1000 a day, but the roofer and the plumber would.

Someone needs to do an FoI request for the costs. That would concentrate a few minds.

Good plan! Think it was £150 an hour. Don't quote me though.

Most mums and grand parents go into schools for free to talk about their day jobs or read with the kids...
I think a lot of people would get on board to do this for libraries during the summer holidays or at other times of year.

Most libraries around me have story and rhyme time already.

It has come as a surprise to me that money changed hands for dqst. Must be easier than worrying that a volunteer won't turn up.

All good questions.

All doomed to go unanswered by those who should be answering them.

I think the standard charge for DQSH was £350 and he was sometimes doing three a day.

?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words failed me when I read that.

I've just emailed Rochdale to say thanks and never again please.

This is what I was told by someone who was asking questions of a town in a city not far from me which was listed on the tour. I presume he's there for a couple of hours — don't imagine he travels in full drag queen rig, presume he also has transport costs and possibly security costs. So £350 seems justifiable.

£150 per show. This is the going rate for solo entertainers at a smallish to middling venue.

SS will be classed as a professional entertainer so this is reasonable.

Whether you want your tax payers money to go towards this is another question (I don't and would write to my council), it's not a private venue.

Debbie Hayton has been reporting on events for the Spectator.

The libraries aren't a private venue, but it appears they are being made a private venue, for the duration of SS's visits.

Those protesting against the appearance of Sab Samuel, a drag queen who goes by the stage name Aida H Dee, were clear what they thought. 'It's wrong. This is aimed at toddlers and these kids don’t understand,' a man in his 50s said.

In relative silence, a dozen or so woman huddled with their children. Three and four year-olds stood with eyes wide open looking at the astonishing scenes outside their library.

It was harder to engage with the other group. They were younger and angrier. Masks were almost ubiquitous; many were also hooded and hid their faces behind dark glasses. But their feelings were equally clear as they chanted: 'Say it loud, say it clear, drag queens are welcome here.'

(continues)

Eventually the library admitted those with tickets. Everyone else was kept outside, including a regular stream of library users. But this was a Thursday like no other.

(continues)

This part of the city is not so well off, but the ticket holders were a similar demographic: women with young children. Again library staff stood across the door: no ticket, no entry. A second battalion of police were on hand in the wings. But here, the inspector in charge let the two groups mingle, and some common ground was found. Being a very British protest, two women found an interest in each other’s dogs. There was also a shared concern for children. This, after all, was why everyone was here.

(continues)

Suddenly a car containing Aida H Dee zipped out of the back entrance and signalled another dash – this time to Stockwood Library in the south of the city. More women with more children, more police. Another fee collected by the performer; another library closed to the public.

The Spectator

We've been idly discussing whether lesbian story hour would be as well received.

Obviously I'm in, and to prove I'm good at telling stories, here's a shameless plug of the article I wrote about Leeds DQSH.

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/wont-somebody-actually-think-of-the

Good grief. I don't have expletives strong enough for this.

Not only have you corroborated that the public libraries were indeed shut to anyone who just wanted to use the library, but now I find out that someone at one branch took the decision to ignore the fire alarm when it went off, and they didn't evacuate the children attending.

This is fucked up.

Read the link above, womanittee.

Here is Aida being smug later on. And what if it hadn't been a false alarm? What if it had been an actual fire, in this weather? Every second counts when evacuating a building, especially when there are people present who aren't independently mobile, such as babes-in-arms and toddlers.

Well, if it hadn't been a false alarm, multiple people might not have survived, including him is what. It is an incredibly bad idea to wait - ^on the top floor, no less! - in a building until the smoke or the flames become visible to you where you are. That's basically waiting to get trapped.

The fire alarm goes off? You leave.